


Purpose of a Nobody

by LordLethargy



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: 11/12, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Implied Relationships, Light Angst, MarLar, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Relationship, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-23 12:39:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7463634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordLethargy/pseuds/LordLethargy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A small glimpse into first meetings and motivations.</p><p>[An OLD drabble I decided to lightly brush up and post on here for others' viewing pleasure. Experimenting with ideas. AU 'what if' concept occurring during the events of Chain of Memories when Sora encounters Larxene a second time without Repliku, Donald, or Goofy.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Purpose of a Nobody

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to post something since I finally caved and made an account on here, even if it's a really old something. Enjoy!

        The loud ping of metal-on-metal echoed in the corridor as Sora blocked two of Larxene's foudre, causing the charged throwing knives to ricochet into Castle Oblivion's blindingly white walls. The Nymph panted heavily, eyeing her opponent with newly discovered vehemence. The little brat was somehow able to keep avoiding her attacks, but she would defeat him. There was no way he would be able to match her speed. With a loud command of "Lightning!" the aforementioned element thundered down, shocking the keybearer. He let out a cry of pain, to which she could only laugh mirthlessly.

This battle had begun to wear her down. The kid was fighting with an unexpected strength, determined to save little Namine, who he believed was actually important to him.

Marluxia stood at the other end of the corridor with one hand firmly planted on the blonde girl's head, the other holding his massive scythe. A smirk took up residence upon the assassin's face, for soon the keybearer's memories would be completely re-written, and his heart destroyed; then the power of the keyblade would be at their command. However, he could see that the situation was quickly growing dire, and that Larxene was weakening; her attacks were becoming slower, and Sora still lived. The keyblade truly held a marvelous power.

Larxene had to shake her head as she was overcome by sudden light-headedness -- She couldn't lose. They had come this far, and she wasn't about to let some kid screw everything up for her. While Sora was momentarily distracted deflecting another knife, Larxene bolted forward and grabbed hold of the keybearer, holding him in place as he tried to shove past her and toward Namine.

"Namine!" he shouted in vain, unable to break through the Nymph's defenses or use his keyblade now that she had taken hold of both his wrists.

"I won't let you hurt her!"

Larxene took the kicks as they came with gritted teeth and dealt with his struggling, violently resisting him all the while. She was running on all she had left; the kid was way stronger than any of them had anticipated. If they didn't take care of him now, then...

"Marluxia!" She called weakly, and with difficulty due to incessant Sora's growls and shouting. The assassin's eyes narrowed slightly at her call, but the smirk never faded from his lips.

Marluxia took his hand from the top of Namine's head and roughly pushed her backwards, striding across the hall with purpose, scythe poised in hand. Larxene could hear his steps and was thankful for his coming; all she had to do was keep the keybearer in place for a few seconds longer.

* * *

 

        It was the third day after she had been inducted into Organization XIII, and only around four days since she had lost her heart.

Or had it been longer?

Those first few days were the foggiest, and even now, she still felt strangely empty. Nothing felt surprisingly strange; it was a very interesting condition, losing one's heart. She knew how she was supposed to feel, could remember feeling in her memories, but she didn't actually feel anything at all...

Whatever.

It didn't matter anymore anyway. Frankly, this was a more preferable life over her previous. Not having a heart was strangely liberating-- Not having to feel all those emotions that constantly got in the way of everything. She wouldn't have to worry about them anymore and that suited her just fine.

A man dressed in a black coat had been the one to find her and take her back to the castle. She later found out that the man's name was Xigbar and that there were eleven other men in black coats calling themselves Organization XIII. They said she was a Nobody, like them, the empty remnant of a person who once was after losing their heart; only the most strong-hearted beings were able to survive the loss of a heart and retain their human form, and that's why they wanted her in their Organization. She had been somewhat out of it during the time of her introduction, but she had accepted their proposition nonetheless. This was a new life for her. A dull... empty life; at least being in the Organization she would have something to do.

In her short time as a Nobody, she had already learned a great deal more about the worlds than she had ever known; about magic, about hearts, darkness, Heartless, about her attribute for one thing--

She felt more powerful than she'd ever been in her life. Her past life, that is.

Unfortunately, everything has a drawback, and Organization XIII just happened to be composed of boring, heartless, self-assured men. Eleven, men. With a petulant groan of frustration, Larxene slammed the door behind her and stomped forward blindly. The sound of the door violently setting back into its place was satisfying, but it wasn't good enough to improve her mood. Sparks crackled and popped around her clenched fist before she sent a bolt forward.

The lightning rapidly honed in on the tallest, closest thing to her, and that just so happened to be a small, budding tree not much taller than herself. It hit the wood with a resonating snap, splitting in two. A perfect 'V'.

It was only then that she realized she had come across and was now standing in a large, open garden she'd not seen before. It was immediately surprising to her. They didn't exactly seem like the gardening type of people; then again, she figured the dusks probably did all the work. The blonde crossed her arms stubbornly for a moment before choosing to make her way down the steps and along the path of the garden, looking at the vast array of different flowers and plants, though she crossed her arms and feigned disinterest. Even she had to admit they were beautiful; full and vibrant, it was a wonder how they managed to grow in their location. It was always nighttime in the World That Never Was, eternally dark, there was no way for these plants to get any sunlight.

She quickened her pace and tried to look as utterly bored as possible; because there was no way she would be caught dead flower-gazing like some awestruck little girl if someone happened upon her. Her heels sounded noisily against the metal-like pathway, though she still wasn't exactly sure what material it was-- the entire castle was comprised of it-- but the sight of a certain flower made her stop at a corner. It stood out from the surrounding flowers, for unlike the rest, it was very... well, plain.

There was a single, small bush full of simple, white flowers. Intrigued, she crouched down to cup one of the soft buds in her hand, grinning at her own action as she pulled it to her nose, only to frown after a moment and pull her head back.

"That is a camellia, it has no fragrance."

The release of the flower was instant as Larxene suddenly snapped up to her full height, surprised by the arrival of a smooth, deep voice. She placed one hand on her hip and scowled after turning to see yet another Organization member, irritated that he had caught her in the act. "Could've fooled me," Larxene retorted, trying not to seem like he had surprised her.

"What kind of a flower doesn't have a smell?"

The man walked up the path, closing the distance between them. As he moved, he raised both arms to pull back the hood of his coat, revealing an attractive male who couldn't have been that much older than she was. Tall with gorgeous blue eyes, wearing a unique head of long, pink hair; she had never seen a man with such smooth, elegant features before. He was like a living statue, meticulously sculpted by some Ancient Grecian attempting to capture their own version of Adonis. He fit into the scene of the shadowy garden perfectly.

"You'd be surprised--" he said, "Although most camellias are scentless, on the rare occasion you might just find an interesting one." He sounded so hollow when he spoke, and yet, his voice was one that drew her in immediately. His blue eyes were more telling than his voice and she found that the heat rushing in her face may not have all come from frustration.

The pink-haired man averted his gaze from her for a moment, a gaze to which she followed to the budding tree from earlier, now blackened and split by the power of her lightning.

"I see you've been entertaining yourself."

He didn't look upset, so hopefully she would be spared another lecture. She had met the castle's local Victor Frankenstein the other day, and it had not been a pleasant experience. The next person to treat her like she was beneath them was going to get zapped and she wouldn't feel any remorse. She wouldn't feel anything at all.

Honestly, it was like she was a foreign species to these men. How long had it been since they had been around a woman? Because they were failing miserably at impressing her; no class whatsoever.

She was nearly startled as the tree suddenly began to reconnect, each half pulling itself back upward as new wood grew between the empty space and the burn marks faded. So that was his attribute, she surmised; though she wondered exactly about the gist of it. Compared to herself and the other members of the Organization whose attributes had been revealed to her, it seemed unusual. Or at the very least uncommon. Not something one would-- she would-- expect, but even though she had just met this Nobody, she thought it suited him, somehow.

"Forgive me for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Marluxia, Number XI." Blue eyes fell on her once more. "I had a feeling I would meet you here."

Seeing the blonde raise an eyebrow, he continued, "I heard the noise. The other members do not come into my garden. It is a bit of an unspoken rule here that all members are entitled to their own private quarters, so long as it does not affect the rest of the Organization, of course."

Here they go again. This guy was no fun at all. Surprise, surprise. Rules and boundaries. He might've been good looking, but that didn't mean she would like him any more than the rest of them. A pretty face could only do so much in her book.

"I get it. You want me to leave, right?" Larxene drawled sarcastically as she turned up her palms in mock defeat.

"If that is what you wish. I had hoped we might be able to talk. A new member is rare."

"Talk, huh?" The so-called Savage Nymph stared at him for a long moment, but was unable to break his unceasing gaze.

"Fine," she growled in defeat, "We can 'talk', it's not like there's anything else for me to do in this castle. I might actually die of boredom in this world."

Marluxia didn't offer anything in return and instead walked up to the camellia bush she'd been crouched in front of earlier. He lowered himself down to its level, reaching out to the buds through gloved fingers. The camellias seemed to react to his presence, unfurling their petals, seeming more vivid and lifelike. It suddenly made sense how all the plants had managed to grow and survive in a world as dark as theirs.

"There's really no point in making the effort to keep up a garden you know," She commented saucily. To her it seemed like a pointless thing for a Nobody to do-- or anybody, really.

"Perhaps," Marluxia mused, gently plucking off a camellia blossom and placing it in his palm.

Larxene's brow furrowed in annoyance; the only thing that could have made it more obvious was if she had started loudly tapping her foot. She already had the folded arms and pursed lips, that was covered. Rolling her eyes behind the man, she spoke up again.

"Then why do it?"

"You said it yourself, this castle can get 'boring'. It gives me something to do, a task to complete when I do not have any missions or duties to fulfill." Marluxia looked expressionlessly down onto the camellia cradled in his palm. "Caring for these plants gives me a purpose, however small it may be."

Larxene let her arms fall back by her thighs, frustration soon forgotten as she listened to him drone on.

"Our existence is hardly an existence at all, it is a half state of being. To all other worlds, and to those with hearts, we do not exist and we do not have a place. Without a heart to feel, we are simply nothing, and if we should perish, we would fade into oblivion. No one would remember us, no one would care to remember. Our Organization's purpose is to unlock the mysteries of the heart, to complete Kingdom Hearts, and to become whole-- But when I am not doing this, I make a new purpose for myself in tending to these plants, so that maybe my existence is not so meaningless after all. Without me, they would surely die and wither."

"I don't see why you're all so interested in getting hearts... We're better off now. Hearts do nothing but cause pain and make life more difficult," Larxene muttered bitterly, looking down at the path with a conflicted expression, unable to feel what she pondered in her memories.

Marluxia finally rose from the bush, an empty smile gracing his soft features, lips appearing much like the petals of the flowers he cared for. He abandoned it then and walked towards her, only choosing to continue past the Nymph and, at the last minute, to press something deep into her palm. She glanced at their now connected hands, seeing the camellia caged within their grasp.

The pink-haired Nobody retracted his arm and wordlessly continued on his way, boots clicking on the strange material of the pathway as he returned to the castle.

* * *

 

        They had been through a lot together, had plotted and gone on countless missions. Of all the Organization members, he had always been the most tolerable, whose company she hadn't really minded.

She'd never cared about regaining her heart. She had her own reasons for agreeing to help him with the coup.

Ruling the Organization with Marluxia would finally put her in a position of respect, where the others would be forced to acknowledge her power. Finally, she would be the one to berate others for their inexperience and uselessness. The founders had always had far too much pride, and she personally was happy to have at the chance to knock them down. Sure, it was risky-- she wasn't stupid-- But it was too good of an opportunity to pass up, besides, she was bored, and if anyone could do it, she knew Marluxia could.

That's all it was for her, which is exactly why the blade of the Graceful Dahlia wore a sheen from the chandelier above, casting a gentle halo across the already white floor of the castle. In one swift motion, that light was extinguished and the curve of the blade sliced smoothly through its target.

Namine let out a scream.

She'd never wanted a heart. A long time ago, she wouldn't have done something like this, she wouldn't have ever considered it. Never.

Unlike their comrades she didn't actually want a heart; completing kingdom hearts, becoming whole, she never cared about any of it.

It wasn't her purpose; she was a Nobody, she didn't have one... But she was able to find one for herself, so that one day he might be able to find his.

The shadows quickly dissolved, issuing the elimination of a Nobody and Larxene was no more, another shadow to be forgotten. From the cloud of fading darkness, a single object dropped gracefully onto the cold surface of the floor.

It was a simple and white, so it blended in with all the colors of Oblivion and went unnoticed.


End file.
